Judas Maccabeus

Judas Maccabeus (194 BC-March 160 BC) was a Jewish priest who led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire from 167 to 160 BC. His restoration of Jewish worship at the Second Temple in 164 BC is commemorated in the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Biography
Judah was the third son of Mattathias, a Jewish priest from the village of Modiin; he was the brother of Jonathan Apphus, John Gaddi, Simon Thassi, and Eleazar Avaran. In 175 BC, the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV forbade Jewish religious practices and attempted to hellenize the inhabitants of Judea. In 167 BC, the family began a revolt against Greek rule, and, after Mattathias' death in 166 BC, Judah assumed leadership of the revolt in accordance with his father's last wishes. He was nicknamed "Maccabee", meaning "the hammer", for his ferocity in battle; in 166 BC, he routed much larger Seleucid armies at Beth Horon and Emmaus. After several years of fighting, he drove his foes out of Jerusalem (apart from the citadel of Acra), and, on 14 December 164 BC, he purified the defiled Second Temple and restored Jewish worship services, an event annually commemorated as Hanukkah. Judah then went to the aid of Jewish communities which were under attack from Greek tribes in Gilead, Jordan, and Galilee, personally leading the campaign along the Jordan and evacuating the assaulted Jews to Judea proper. Judah then fought against the Edomites in the south, destroyed Hebron and Maresha, and destroyed the altars and statues of the pagan gods in Ashdod.

With the enemies outside of Jerusalem destroyed, Judas laid siege to the fortress at Acra. The Seleucid regent Lysias responded by besieging Beth-Zur. At Beth Zechariah in 162 BC, the Seleucids won their first victory over the Maccabees, and Eleazar was killed. That same year, the Seleucids and Judeans agreed to a peace treaty, and both nations underwent civil conflicts. In Judea, the High Priest Menelaus was overthrown and executed for his Hellenistic views, and his successor was another Hellenizer, Alcimus. Alcimus executed sixty priests who were opposed to him, leading to conflict with the Maccabees, and he went to the Seleucid king, asking for help.

The new Syrian king, Demetrius I Soter, obliged Alcimus' request and sent Bacchides with an army to invade Judea. The Jews were unable to defend Jerusalem, so they were forced to engage in guerrilla warfare against the Seleucids. The Seleucids had to return to Antioch due to a turbulent political situation there, and Judas' forces once again liberated Jerusalem. At Adasa in 161 BC, another Seleucid army was destroyed. In 161 BC, Judas formed a defensive alliance with the Roman Republic, which pledged to warn Demetrius against attacking the Jews. However, Demetrius was not swayed by these threats, and again sent Bacchides to invade Judea. Most of Judas' men deserted him, and he was killed in a brave last stand at Elasa in 160 BC. His death stirred the Jews to renewed resistance, and Jonathan and Simon fought for several more years before the Seleucids ultimately gave Judea its independence, ushering in the Hasmonean dynasty.